Since before I can even remember, my family has had a Jeep. It’s a green 1999 Jeep Wrangler and it’s beautiful. It’s one of my most favorite things to drive in the summer. I live in a small town with many farms surrounding me, so the best feeling is driving it with the top down on a warm summer evening. Driving down the back roads, with the wind on my face and the music blasting, is ironically the calmest thing for me. The only thing that would throw some people off is that my Jeep is manual. Yes, I can drive stick.
To be honest with you, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The memories wouldn’t be the same if it was automatic because you feel in total control of the car when you drive manual. Every manual car is different. There is a huge difference between a Jeep and a smaller car, like a Volkswagen, so you must relearn it every time you get into a different vehicle. It’s not as much of a burden as it sounds. You’re basically learning a new power of manual in each size car you drive.
I think everyone should know how to drive stick, especially for safety reasons. For example, if you are ever in a predicament where you can only get out using a stick car, and you don’t know how, there’s a real problem. This is one of the reasons that my father taught me this skill. You can’t learn stick in a single day because it’s a process. The process took me about three days to perfect. The motion is very easy to complete once you have the skill down. You have to be careful and slowly pick up your foot off the clutch, or you’ll continue to stall the vehicle. I obviously can’t explain to you how to drive a manual without physically showing you, but that’s a small tip for anyone thinking about learning this skill. Another reason to learn how to drive stick is that it is a lot of fun and relaxing, once you get the hang of it!
Throughout my life, I’ve been truly grateful to know how to drive a manual car. When someone says “manual is better than automatic,” most of the time, they are correct. Yes, automatic is more convenient, but manual just gives you a different sense of control and freedom, all at the same time!